Cambodia Morning News For May 8

Market-based approach to development
Phav Daroath recently became the first Cambodian to be selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list for social entrepreneurship.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Tech Firms Warn of Weak Intellectual Property Protections
Outdated legal protections for intellectual property in Cambodia are likely to put off potential innovators, according to some in the tech industry who say research and development here is exposed to the risk of competitors simply copying ideas and designs.
— The Cambodia Daily (paywall)

Japan to Contribute $200M to Second Sihanoukville Seaport
The Japanese government has agreed to loan Cambodia $200 million to develop a new seaport in Preah Sihanouk province in anticipation of increased shipping traffic on the coast, according to Cambodian Transport Minister Sun Chanthol.
— The Cambodia Daily (paywall)

Cambodia sees WEF on Asean to boost regional devt, stability
The World Economic Forum (WEF) on Asean 2017, to be held in the Cambodian capital next week, will yield substantive outcomes to further promote sustainable development, peace, stability and prosperity in the Asean region.
— Business Mirror

Adhoc seeking solution
Rights group Adhoc yesterday said it is considering taking legal action against Koh Kong police officials who took down banners calling for the release of the so-called Adhoc 5, though the group said it would prefer to find a solution with the police before exercising that option.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Logging ‘conspiracy’: Cambodian, Vietnamese officials accused of taking huge bribes
Cambodian and Vietnamese officials have received millions of dollars in bribes from Vietnamese timber traders as part of a cross-border “conspiracy” to log vast swathes of Ratanakkiri province and funnel the timber to Vietnam, according to a damning report by the Environmental Investigation Agency released today.
— The Phnom Penh Post

PM returns from Singapore hospital
Prime Minister Hun Sen returned to Cambodia yesterday after an urgent medical examination in Singapore due to exhaustion. The premier was forced to cancel diplomatic meetings and ceremonies last week and was rushed abroad for treatment.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Tycoons Reveal Extent of Refinery’s China Links
On the top floor of an office building in Phnom Penh’s Tuol Kok district, next to an abandoned lot overgrown with grass, three board members of the Cambodian Petrochemical Company (CPC) laid out their plan to build Cambodia’s first oil refinery, in Preah Sihanouk province.
— The Cambodia Daily (paywall)

Cambodia Dismisses Claims of Illicit Sand Exports Despite Ban
Cambodia’s government on Friday dismissed accusations by an environmental group that the country is still exporting sand, despite a national ban, saying a vessel seen loading the material in a video the group posted on social media was doing nothing illicit.
— Radio Free Asia

A BuzzFeed would-be is paving the way for startups in Cambodia
In a country renowned for world-famous temples and fresh, spicy food — not to mention communist politics and one of history’s most atrocious genocides — lives Mediaload, a six-year-old online media company that harbors aspirations of becoming the local language equivalent of BuzzFeed across Asia.
— TechCrunch

Cambodia feeling heat on detainees
The United States has joined the European Union and U.N. human-rights agencies in expressing concern over the extended pretrial detention of five Cambodian human-rights activists held for more than a year.
— NWAOnline

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Vat Vin

Vat Vin graduated from the University of Cambodia with a major in Economics. He previously worked as a business writer and journalist at Business Cambodia and as a copy writer at The Source and Solution Group before joining AEC News Today.